MOIL Limited, a state-owned manganese company, has directed China Coal No. 3 Mining (India) Private Limited to keep operations suspended at a mine in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh until it re-employs 64 Indian workers.
MOIL has given a three-year contract to the firm to operate a mine, among many spread across 182 hectares and having an annual production of 3.5-4 lakh tonnes.
When operations at the mine were resumed on June 1 after more than two months of lockdown, the firm, having 37 Chinese workers, reportedly denied entry to those residing outside the premises fearing COVID-19 infection, said U.S. Bhati, manager of several mines owned and operated or contracted by MOIL in Bharveli, a mining town that has Asia’s deepest manganese mines.“While Chinese workers live on the campus [of the contracted mine], the locals live in surrounding villages,” he said.
However, Indian staff members have alleged their Chinese employers misbehaved with them and the pandemic was only an excuse to remove them. When contacted by The Hindu , an Indian representative of the firm refused to comment and said MOIL would be able to answer queries instead.
“When the firm refused to take back its employees residing outside, all Indian, for the time being, we told them to employ them immediately otherwise suspend operations. As their response wasn’t satisfactory, we directed them to stop work on June 19,” said Mr. Bhati.
The affected employees include 40 workers, supervisors, engineers, blasters, translators, cooks, helpers and operators. “We have given them the option of working with other contractors. And many have picked up work too,” he added. While contractors take up time-bound projects, workers switch workplaces after their completion.
“Around 40% of the work, which began a year or so ago, has been completed,” said Mr. Bhati.
The Indian employees last week approached the District Collector alleging the firm denied them work thinking they were infected and asked them to approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek help. “The episode has no relation to the ongoing Indo-China conflict,” said Deepak Arya, Collector.
Mr. Arya explained that the lockdown in view of the pandemic had disrupted the work cycle of Chinese employees. “Every six months, Chinese workers are rotated. But now, neither can they call new ones, or send these back home. Therefore they are frustrated too. They have requested us to send them back home.”
Further, he added, entry of infected citizens back into China was restricted. “This caused the firm to ask employees coming from outside to stay away, fearing infection.
On the campus, there are 12 other Indian staff members, including cooks and translators. “We have informed the firm it will not be allowed to operate without taking back all Indian workers,” said District Collector Deepak Arya.
The firm has paid each worker ₹5,000 to tide them over the unemployment. “They have told us they may employ us after three months. How will we survive until then?” asked Sitesh Kathoute, 29, who made ₹700-750 a day as a driller but is now left without pay.
Most were loath to work with other employers, he said. “From the options we have, work often doesn’t continue for long with those contractors, and payments are irregular. No one among us has had COVID-19, then why discriminate against us like this?” asked Mr. Kathoute, who feeds an eight-member family. In the past three months, his family has accrued a debt of ₹1.5 lakh, consisting of a loan to buy a two-wheeler and money borrowed from neighbours to buy food.
